Brand guidelines
Brand guidelines are intended to ensure visual consistency and quality for all communications that an organisation may have with its clients, employees and stakeholders.
Too often brand guidelines are a sterile set of rules that stifle creativity for designers or marketers who have to implement a new identity. Brand guidelines should inspire and excite, instilling belief in the brand and motivating people to embrace a shared vision rather than simply act as a rigid rulebook of brand compliance.
A necessary evil, a solid set of brand guidelines should allow anybody to efficiently obtain relevant instructions on how to apply the brand across any marketing communication material whilst also providing a degree of creative freedom.
Do's and Dont's are arguably a waste of time – if a designer even thinks of stretching or distorting a logo they shouldn’t be working for you! Brand Remedy’s identity guidelines typically contain the following:
Logo specification
Specifying such things as exclusion areas, how to use clear space etc.
Logo application
Specifying the primary colours, black and white versions, single colour, application on a photographic background etc.
Colour palette
Brands should not be afraid of colour but neither should they be slap-dash with its application. Pantone, CMYK, RGB and web colours should be specified.
Typography
The style of typography can help set the tone of the brand – formal, informal, modern or traditional. Titles, headings, text styles are normally specified.
Tone of voice
Arguably the single most important part of any brand guidelines, tone of voice is often overlooked. Tone of voice is an essential indicator of a brand’s personality.
Imagery
One of the most powerful ways of illustrating a brand, photography or other imagery should always be of a high quality and conform to a consistent treatment.
Implementation
Brand guidelines often include examples of marketing collateral that demonstrate how a competent designer or marketer can apply the guidelines across a range of communication materials.